Lesbian Icon Leslie Cohen Talks 50 Years After Stonewall (AUDIO)

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Leslie Cohen about the legendary nightclub for women Sahara that she established with three of her friends in May of 1976 to December of 1979 at 1234 Second Avenue at East 65th Street on Manhattan’s fashionable Upper East Side. Cohen, Michelle Florea, Linda Goldfarb and Barbara Russo created New York City’s first upscale women’s club that showcased women in art, politics and music. On Thursday night the line went around the block when both men and women were invited in for political fundraisers and cabaret. Celebrities such as Jane Fonda, Tom Hayden, Patti Smith, Pat Benatar, Warren Beatty, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug and Elaine Noble, the first openly gay state Representative from Massachusetts appeared or performed there. This led to Leslie and her partner Beth Suskin becoming the models for the iconic sculpture “Gay Liberation,” in Greenwich Village which commemorates the Stonewall riots and was declared a national monument by President Obama in 2016. We talked to Leslie about how Sahara changed the course of her life and her spin on the future of our LGBTQ civil rights.

When asked what the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots means to her Cohen stated, “First of all it’s a celebration of how far we’ve come and it’s also a reminder of how precarious the rights that we have achieved have become under Trump who is consistently chipping away at everything we have fought for over the last 50 years. So this reminder is very important now to remind people to educate young people about how difficult it was and how much everyone has to fight for what we now have. I know the New York Historical Society, because I have been working with them, is putting together a major exhibition of Stonewall 50 and I would really encourage people to go. It’s going to have a section on Sahara which makes me very happy because it’s so important to know our history and to make sure our history is recorded and to continue pressuring for equal rights for ourselves and not only for ourselves now but for trans people who were so instrumental in Stonewall and the early gay rights movement because they were courageous and brave. We should also be very vigilant because these rights can be taken away. It’s important to stay visible and it’s important to be out there. Write your books, tell your stories, make sure that we are part of history and people can refer to it especially young people. This is so important for young people to see that there are many gays and lesbians who fought for their rights and have found joy and happiness. I’m happy being a lesbian. I’ve had a lot of joy and a lot of fun and I want young people to know that. I have found love. I’ve been with my now wife for 42 years and it’s possible. You will find happiness.”

 Leslie Cohen moved to Miami to practice law in 1992 and is now retired. She has just finished a memoir about her life during the time of Sahara, the creation and controversy over the “Gay Liberation” sculpture and her enduring love affair with her partner and now wife of 42 years, Beth.
For Info: nycpride.org

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Lotti Pharriss Knowles Talks Goddess: The Fall & Rise Of Showgirls (AUDIO)

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Lotti Pharriss Knowles about her new project “Goddess: The Fall and Rise Of Showgirls” she is producing with Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Jeffrey Schwarz.  A pivotal interviewee already announced is “Showgirls” director Paul Verhoeven (Robocop, Total Recall, Basic Instinct, Starship Troopers, Elle) who has also given this project his full blessing. Director Jeffrey Schwarz stated, “It’s been a longtime dream to make the definitive documentary about a film that has fascinated and flabbergasted audiences since its release in 1995. ‘Showgirls’ is a misunderstood masterpiece and although it is a gaudy, over the top spectacle, it wrestles with issues of sex, power and the American Dream. ‘Goddess’ will dig deep into the intentions of its creators, recount the negative reaction by the press and the public and chronicle how the cult of ‘Showgirls’ has grown over the years.” We talked to Lotti about her inspiration for producing this significant documentary “Goddess: The Fall & Rise Of Showgirls” and her spin on our LGBTQ issues.

When asked what she hopes to accomplish with her work, Pharriss Knowles stated, “All of my work has a similar angle to it which is to entertain my audience. I always have that in the forefront of my mind but I also always want to work in something that has some kind of social commentary or message. Kind of once people finish the ice cream cone maybe there’s a little nut at the center that they’re like ‘oh that was fun but now I’m thinking about something.’ I’ve been an activist and someone interested in social issues my whole life. I mean that was stuff my parents and I would talk about around the dinner table. So I just can’t help that I always have a little bit of that or a lot of that in any piece of work that I’m involved in or creating.”

Lotti Pharriss Knowles is a writer and Emmy-nominated producer based in Los Angeles. She is the writer and producer of horror-comedy feature film “Chastity Bites” and with documentary filmmaker Jeffrey Schwarz she produced “I Am Divine”, “The Fabulous Allan Carr” and HBO Documentary Films’ “Vito”. Her play “Because They Have No Words” was nominated by Los Angeles Stage Alliance’s Ovation Awards for World Premiere Play and was published by Northwestern University Press in the anthology titled “Katrina On Stage”. Lotti is a proud member of the Dramatists Guild and Producers Guild of America.
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Brandon Uranowitz Talks “Burn This” on Broadway & More (AUDIO)

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Tony nominee actor Brandon Uranowitz appearing in “Burn This” alongside Academy Award nominee Adam Driver and Golden Globe winner Keri Russell currently in previews on Broadway and opens on April 16th at the Hudson Theater at 141 W 44th Street in New York City. The fabulous play by Lanford Wilson begins shortly after the funeral of Robbie a young gay dancer who drowns in a boating accident with his lover Dom. Robbie’s other roommates Anna played by Russell, a dancer/choreographer and Larry a confident gay ad man played by Uranowitz are joined by screenwriter Burton, Anna's longtime lover and Pale played by Driver, Robbie's hyperactive restaurant manager brother. Thrown together in this shared tragedy the quartet attempts to make sense of their lives and reconsider their own identities and relationships. “Burn This” is a smoldering story of love and raw attraction by one of the most vital playwrights of the modern era. It’s directed by Tony winner Michael Mayer and also costars Tony nominee David Furr. We talked to Brandon about how he got involved in this openly gay role and his spin on our LGBTQ issues.

When asked what his personal commitment is to LGBTQ civil rights especially with the 50th anniversary of Stonewall coming up Uranowitz stated, “It is extremely important to me. I mean I think it’s probably the most important thing to me particularly trans rights. I think trans visibility is of the utmost importance now. It’s sort of at the top of my priority list I guess if I was to have one and you know it’s a funny question only because I can’t imagine someone in my position that there’s anything less than a 100% commitment. So I guess it’s hard for me to answer because it just feels organic and natural for me to make that my mission to be a representative for our community and make sure that we are seen and heard and we are accepted and equality is something that we fight for and we win. We were winning but it looks like we’re taking a few steps back but I will be on the frontline with my colleagues to make sure that we fight always. It would be weird that anyone would say otherwise.”

Brandon Uranowitz is a two-time Tony Award nominee for his performances in “An American in Paris” and “Falsettos.” In 2018 he was acclaimed for his starring roles as Otto Kringelein in “Grand Hotel” at New York City Center Encores! and Itzik in the Tony Award winning Best Musical “The Band’s Visit.” His upcoming film credits include “The Kitchen,” starring Melissa McCarthy and “Stage Fright.” On television Brandon has a recurring role in season two of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Additionally, he has made guest starring appearances on “Dietland”, “Blue Bloods" and “Inside Amy Schumer”. Currently in previews “Burn This” runs April 16th to July 14th.
For Info & Tix: burnthisplay.com

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Ted Allen Talks Dining Out For Life To Fight HIV/AIDS (AUDIO)

In this exclusive audio interview Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ talks with Ted Allen, television personality and host of Food Network’s “Chopped” about Dining Out For Life the HIV/AIDS fundraiser. Dining Out For Life hosted by Subaru® takes place in 60 cities across North America on Thursday, April 25th. The event was conceived 28 years ago in Philadelphia and the concept is quite simple. More than 3,000 participating restaurants donate a generous percentage of that day’s proceeds to support service providers in their region to fund care, prevention, education, testing, counseling and other essential HIV/AIDS services. This year over 3,000 participating restaurants, thousands of volunteers and an expected 300,000+ diners will be served to raise over $4 million for people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States and Canada. We talked to Ted about being a spokesperson for this fabulous event and his spin on our LGBTQ issues.

When asked what he would like Dining Out For Life to accomplish this year Allen stated, “Well I think the model has long been proven, it raises a lot of money. What I think we would like to accomplish this year is to raise more money than we ever had before and we are talking about millions and millions of dollars that you are helping to raise that stays in your community. The money that is raised in Houston is spent in Houston helping your own neighbors, people down the block and I think that’s another thing that people feel really good about with this technique of fundraising.”

Emmy and James Beard Award winner Ted Allen is the host of “Chopped” and “Chopped Junior” the Food Network’s hit primetime culinary competition shows and the author of two cookbooks, “In My Kitchen: 100 Recipes and Discoveries for Passionate Cooks” and “The Food You Want to Eat: 100 Smart, Simple Recipes" both published by Clarkson-Potter. Previously he was the food and wine specialist on the Emmy-winning Bravo series “Queer Eye” and a regular judge on both Food Network's “Iron Chef America” and Bravo’s “Top Chef.” This is the twelfth year he has served as a volunteer celebrity spokesperson for Dining Out For Life along with actor/activist Pam Grier (Foxy Brown, Jackie Brown) & HIV positive designer Mondo Guerra, winner of Project Runway All-Stars and host of the new streaming series “Runway Remake”. Ted lives in Brooklyn with his husband Barry Rice.
For More Info: diningoutforlife.com

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